The White Sox have traded veteran shortstop Paul Dejong to the Royals, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. They will reportedly receive minor-league reliever Jarold Rosado in return.
Rosado is not ranked among the Royals’ Top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. The 22-year-old right-hander owns a 1.85 ERA in 39 innings in Single-A. He is four for five in save opportunities and is holding opponents to a .214 batting average against him. Rosado is also averaging 10.38 strikeouts per nine innings this season.
The Royals are in the thick of the AL Wild Card race but could use some reinforcements in the infield. After a hot start to the season, Maikel Garcia has come crashing down to earth, hitting just .238 with six home runs, 45 RBIs, and a .637 OPS. The White Sox have recently been trying out DeJong at third base to showcase his versatility. Despite making two errors on Sunday against the Mariners, the Royals seemed to have seen enough to take a flier on him. DeJong figures to be a platoon player with Garcia, seeing that Bobby Witt Jr. has the shortstop position locked down.
DeJong led the White Sox with 18 home runs this season in what has turned into a nice bounceback season for the former All-Star. He is slashing .228/.275/.430 with 41 RBIs. The 30-year-old infielder is just one year removed from being released by the Blue Jays, just 13 games after the Cardinals traded him away. In 2023 he slashed .207/.258/.355 with 14 homers and 38 RBIs. To add insult to injury the eight-year MLB veteran’s expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, average exit velocity, strikeout rate, and walk rate all ranked in the bottom third of qualified MLB hitters.
DeJong signed a one-year deal with the White Sox to be the bridge player for Colson Montgomery after the team decided to part ways with Tim Anderson. He now leads the White Sox in home runs, slugging percentage, and runs scored.
